ANTH 464 - Metaphors of Blood: Race, Kinship and Genetics

FC SSCI CD

4 credits
This course will introduce students to anthropological approaches to the ways in which people conceive of their relatedness to one another historically and cross-culturally. Students will study established formations of kinship, family, race and ethnicity while giving particular attention to the contemporary ways in which advancements in genetics and biotechnology have challenged and reconfigured these formations. We will examine ethical and policy debates that have emerge from recent advances in biotechnology. Topics will include cross-species kinship, assisted reproductive technologies, LGBTQ families; commercial genetic testing, adoption, transnational families, disability, forensic identification, and the nature/nurture debate.